Warm squash and goats' cheese salad
Ingredients
- 650g/1lb7oz butternut squash, peeled
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 2 dried chillies, crumbled
- 1 cinnamon stick, broken into slices
- leaves of 1 bunch of sage
- 200ml/7floz olive oil
- 5 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 2Β½ tbsp sugar
- 55g/2oz fresh goats' cheese, crumbled
- 100g/3Β½oz loosely packed wild rocket
- Β½ lemon, quartered
Method
Preheat the oven to 160C/320F/Gas 2 and line a baking tray with baking paper.
Cut the squash into 2.5 cm/1in slices.
Halve these diagonally to give half-moon shapes. Place in a large bowl with the garlic, chilli, cinnamon and sage.
Add one tablespoon of the oil and two tablespoons of the vinegar, and season with salt and pepper. Toss to distribute evenly, then leave for ten minutes.
Spread the pumpkin in a single layer on the prepared baking tray and roast until it's soft and the edges crispy, about 30 minutes. If some is burnt just pick it out.
Place the sugar in a small saucepan and melt over a low heat. Continue cooking until it changes to a light gold colour.
Remove from the heat and gradually stir in the remaining vinegar.
Return to the heat and stir until smooth. Allow to cool.
Stir the remaining oil into the vinegar mixture to make a dressing.
Toss half with the pumpkin to coat well and transfer the slices to a large serving plate.
Toss the remaining dressing with the goats' cheese over the pumpkin and garnish with dressed rocket and the lemon wedges.
